


An Influence of Hope

by scottlang



Series: S. Lang [1]
Category: Ant-Man (Comics), Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Ants, Avengers - Freeform, Family, Gen, Hardships, Other, Post-Ant-Man (2015), Post-Civil War (Marvel), Post-Divorce, Sacrifices, San Francisco, Stature - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:46:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8764732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scottlang/pseuds/scottlang
Summary: Hope is found in the oddest of places. For Scott Lang, it is with his shining star, his rock in an ever-expanding universe: Cassandra Lang. A day of family fun and giggles bring the pair closer than ever, with a trip to Golden Gate park and a science museum. Even though tough days are ahead for the shrinking felon, he knows that he can always rely on his peanut to brighten his day.





	

        One way to show someone that you love them is to spend time with them. Commit to them. Show them that you are there for them. This morale echoed through the mind of Scott Lang, whose sole purpose in life, (at least, he believed it to be sole purpose in life), was to care, protect and love his daughter Cassie. Cassie's presence in Scott's life gave him hope and security that he wasn't truly alone in the world. So, along with being a part-time 'superhero', Scott always made time for his little girl.

  
  
        Today was a big day for him and Cassie; Maggie said to Scott that he could take his daughter out on a San Franciscan excursion. For an **entire day** ; Scott was ecstatic. Sitting in the van that Luis was practically head over heels for, the former thief sat patiently in the driveway of Maggie and Paxton's home, waiting for his daughter to come running out. Soon enough, Scott spotted the front door swinging open as a little girl dashed out, sprinting to his side of the van.

  
  
        "Daddy!" Cassie called to Scott, dressed in a pastel pink shirt with a pair of blue jeans and red sneakers on. She clutched the ugly, disturbing rabbit toy that he had given her for her birthday. Scott unlocked and pushed the door open, instantly kneeling down to catch the girl in his arms.

  
  
        "Hi, peanut! How's my little Cassie doing?" The superhero asked, planting swift kisses upon her forehead.

  
  
        "I'm okay! Mommy said you were going to take me all over the city. All day!" Cassie wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he picked her up, carefully.

  
  
        "That's right, peanut! We're going to see some super cool stuff today, plus I'll take you out to lunch and even later . . . ice cream!" Scott wiggled his eyebrows, carrying the girl to the back of the van.

  
  
        "Aw, why can't I sit in the front?" Cassie questioned, a glare coming from her, directed at her father.

  
  
        "Because," Scott buckled her in, shutting the door and climbing into the driver’s seat.

 

        "This isn't the safest of vehicles. Plus, you're not old enough to sit in the front. Only older kids can sit in the front," The former thief glanced into the rear-view mirror, winking at Cassie. Her expression went from angry to delighted in a matter of seconds.

  
  
        " _Okay_ , daddy," The young girl giggled. Noticing that Maggie was out on the porch, Scott gave her a quick wave before backing out of the driveway, heading down the street to a traffic light.

  
  
        "I thought maybe we could go to the big park, then the science museum, then lunch, ice cream, head to Uncle Hank's house and then I'll take you home to your mom. Sounds good, peanut?"

  
  
        "Yeah, daddy! Let's go already!" Cassie beamed, her rosy cheeks and wide smile making Scott's heart flutter. She was-- no, _is_ \-- the most important thing in his life, and he wouldn't give her up for anything in the world.

 

        The newest addition to the Avengers ran across the bright green fields of Golden Gate Park, tossing a Frisbee to his daughter. They gallivanted around the park and stopped from time to time to throw the Frisbee Scott brought along. Eventually, Cassie got out of breath and wanted to go sit by the pond. Scott heaved her onto his shoulders, his hands holding onto her ankles as she rested her arms on top of his head.

  
  
        "There are some ducks nearby, peanut. Want to go see if we can talk to one?"

  
  
        "Yeah!" The little girl cheered, gaining a bit of her energy back. Scott brought her over to the pond, placing Cassie on one of the benches. She kicked her feet up and down as a few ducks rested nearby, some in the water and some on the grass.

  
        "I want a duck, daddy!" Cassie grinned, looking up at her father.

  
  
        "Peanut, you have a giant ant as a pet. Let's wait until it's a bit older before we get you another animal," Scott chuckled, his hand ruffling the little girl's hair.

  
  
        " _Fine_ ," Cassie laughed, her face lighting up with even more energy. She then paused a bit, leaning her head against his shoulder.

  
  
        "I miss you a lot, daddy. I wish you were around more. . ."

  
  
        Scott was taken aback as he stared down at his daughter. This is what he feared. He didn't want his child to be deprived of a father-- Well. . . Cassie wouldn't be _deprived_ because she still had Paxton, but Scott tried so hard to stay in her life that it hurt him a bit to hear his little girl say such a thing.

  
  
        "I know, Cassie. . . And I'm sorry. With work and rent and trying to care for you, it may seem annoying that I don't get to be with you all the time. But I want you to know that . . . that I will _always_ love you, no matter what."

  
  
        "I love you, daddy," Cassie twisted herself around to hug her father. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a light squeeze.

  
  
        "I love you too, peanut. Hey, how's about we head over to the museum and look around for a bit?" Scott stated, his hand running through her light brown locks.

  
  
        "Yeah! I want to see some space stuff!"

  
  
        "Then let's go!" The two practically hopped off the bench, running down the path towards the science museum, Scott's hand clutching Cassie's tightly. The two Lang's entered the museum, Cassie's eyes widening at the many exhibits scattered around the inside of the building.

  
  
        "Where would you like to go first, peanut?"

  
  
        "The space part, daddy!"

  
  
        "Perfect. I have tickets to go into the observatory."

  
  
        "Yay!"

 

* * *

 

 

        Scott followed the signs that pointed to the space exhibit, a few crowds getting in their way at times. Finally, the pair reached the observatory, a line waiting for the next show to start. Cassie leaned against Scott's legs as they stood patient, a woman leaning over and whispering to Scott, "Is that your daughter? She's adorable." The former thief gave a thank you before noticing the people that were exiting the planetarium.

  
  
        "We're almost there, peanut!" He squeezed her hand, following the line into the planetarium. Scott and Cassie grabbed seats near the middle of the room. The lights dimmed completely as stars began to appear on the ceiling and the voice of a very famous astrophysicist echoed through the planetarium.

  
  
        Cassie stared at the planets, stars and galaxies that were explored in the show, her expression filled with wonder and curiosity. Once or twice during the show, Scott would lean over to her and point to a pretty looking object in the sky of the planetarium. The show ended on a single note and the lights slowly came back on.

  
  
        "That was a lot of fun!" The young girl had a broad smile plastered across her face. "The sky was so pretty and filled with sparkles!"

  
  
        "I'm happy you enjoyed it, peanut," The pair exited the planetarium, walking down a flight of stairs before reaching a main hall of the museum. They continued to migrate through, exploring the many themes of the museum.

  
  
        "Daddy, I'm hungry," Cassie rubbed her tummy, a low growl coming from it. A laugh exhaled from the ant-themed hero.

  
  
        "I hear that. Want to go get some lunch?"

  
  
        A frantic nod came from his daughter.

  
  
        "Then let us go eat!"

 

* * *

  
  
        Scott and Cassie had found a restaurant outside of the park that looked pleasant. They were starving by the time they reached it. The hostess asked how many would be eating with them and Scott held up two fingers; the lady sat them down at a small table by the window, overlooking the edge of the park. A server came up to them after a few moments, asking what they would like to drink. Scott answered, 'just plain ol' water," and Cassie followed suit, repeating what her father said. The two exchanged a humorous look as they looked through their menus.

  
  
        "I'm going to get the chicken nuggets, daddy. Is that okay?" Cassie inquired, her hazel orbs staring at Scott from above her menu.

  
        "Yeah, that's just fine, peanut. You can get whatever you want," Scott gave a curt nod, a wink coming from him.

  
        "So, peanut, how has school been? Made any new friends?"

  
  
        "Yeah, I have a friend that I play tag with on the playground," Her brow knit in slight confusion. "People like to ask if you're a superhero, though."

  
  
        Scott was sipping on his water when she mentioned the word 'superhero'. The former thief choked, pounding his chest to expel the water.

  
  
        "They like to ask _what_ , peanut?" Worry, confusion, and fear were spreading through the Ant-Man.

  
  
        "A superhero. But I tell them that it's not true and they leave me alone," Cassie shrugged, not understanding why her father had a sudden reaction to the words that came from her mouth.

  
  
        "Good, good. It's best not to tell people because. . . because it's none of their beeswax," Recovering from his sudden surprise, Scott reassured the girl with a smile.

  
        "Yeah, I know. Mommy doesn't like talking about it either."

  
        "Well, I get that. She's not too keen with me being a--" Scott urged Cassie to lean forward, talking in a low whisper. "-- _superhero_."

  
  
        "I want to be like you someday, daddy," Cassie returned the whisper, her hands cupped over her mouth.

  
        "Someday, peanut," Scott snickered, their server returning to ask what they would like to eat.

 

* * *

 

 

        After their lunch and conversations that mainly consisted of Cassie asking random questions and Scott giving random answers, the two began to walk down the street, past small boutiques and stores. The Ant-Man held onto his daughter’s hand, stopping when he saw a rack of sunglasses for cheap.

  
  
        "Peanut, do you want a pair of sunglasses? It's sunny outside and you don't want to hurt your eyeballs."

  
  
        "Yes, please!" The girl beamed, running up to one of the racks and grabbing the first pair she laid eyes on. It had red-tinted lenses and a wire frame, eerily similar to what the billionaire Tony Stark wore whenever Scott had seen him on television.

  
  
        "Uh, those are. . ." Scott tried to come up with an excuse to why Cassie couldn't choose those glasses out of all of them, but he couldn't think fast enough. "Those are too big for your head."

  
  
        "No, they're not!" Cassie argued, a wide smile on her face.

  
  
        "Yes, they are!" The former thief returned, plucking a smaller pair off of the rack to replace with the Stark-looking ones.

  
  
        "No fair, daddy!" Cassie huffed and crossed her arms, pouting when her father placed the new pair on her head.

  
  
        "See? Now they fit you," Scott stifled a laugh at his daughter's expression. The Ant-Man paid for the sunglasses, one for him and one for Cassie, before beginning to stride down the street again.

  
  
        "Want a piggyback ride?" Scott squatted down in front of Cassie, who gave an excited nod before hopping onto her dad's back. The two then ran down the street, Cassie cheering her father on until he became out of breath, sweat dripping down his forehead.

  
  
        "I know what we should do, daddy!" The young girl clapped her hands together, her eyes lighting up as she climbed off of Scott's back.

  
  
        "What's that, peanut?" Stretching out his back, the former thief wiped a bit of the sweat off of his forehead, looking down at Cassie.

  
  
        "Ice cream!"

  
  
        "Ice cream?"

  
  
        "I scream, you scream, Cassie screams for ice cream!"

  
        A rather loud laugh left Scott. "Peanut, you always know exactly what to say."

 

* * *

 

 

        The pair sat on a shaded bench by the water, licking their ice cream cones respectively. Scott chose a vanilla and strawberry combination whilst Cassie had chosen a caramel, chocolate, and cookie dough combination.

  
        "Your mom is going to freak if she finds out you had ice cream before dinner," Scott licked some of his dessert that began to drip onto his thumb.

  
        "Don't worry, daddy! She won't know," Cassie bit a piece of her waffle cone, crunching and chewing the tasty treat.

  
        "We'll tell her in. . . a few years? That way she eventually finds out."

  
        "Yep!" The girl answered cheekily, her face becoming smeared with ice cream. Good thing Scott brought along a /ton/ of napkins for the both of them.

  
  
        "Are we going to Uncle Hank's house after our ice cream?" The question left the girl quickly as she speedily finished her frozen dessert.

  
  
        "Yeah, I just have to drop something off and we can say hello. Then I have to get you home to your mom before five, or she'll beat me up," Scott replied jokingly, earning a giggle from Cassie.

  
  
        "Okay! That sounds like fun!"

  
  
        "What, your mother beating me up?" Scott feigned offense.

  
  
        "No, daddy, getting to see Uncle Hank again!" Eventually, Scott finished his ice cream, helping to get Cassie cleaned up before they went back to the van.

 

        It was three thirty by the time the father and daughter were on their way over to Hank's home. They had to wind through the bustling streets of San Francisco to get to the neighborhood Hank Pym resided in. Scott pulled the van up on the street against the house, climbing out to open the door and help Cassie out as well. The two made their way up the hill, with Scott knocking on the door. The former thief held a bag in his hand that Hank needed for one of his experiments.

  
  
        "Scott, nice of you to stop by,” Hank eyed the bag that his mentee held. Hank noticed Cassie clinging to her father's leg. "And you brought it. Perfect." 

  
  
        "Hello, Cassie. How are you, young lady?"

  
  
        "I'm doing fine, Uncle Hank! How are you?"

  
  
        "Just well, thank you for asking."

  
  
        "Yeah, Hank, I got to get her home soon. Just thought I'd stop by and pass off your, uh, thing to you," Scott stated, handing the bag to his mentor.

  
  
        "Thank you, Scott. Say hello to your pet ant for me, Cassie," The doctor gave a soft smile to the young girl, slowly shutting the door.

  
  
        "That's it?" Cassie questioned Scott, confusion on her face.

  
  
        "Yep, sorry, peanut. Uncle Hank is a very busy man. C'mon, let's go home."

  
  
        "Okay. . ." The pair returned to the van, Scott firing up the ignition as he brought Cassie back home.

  
  
        Once they reached Cassie's home, Scott saw fairly angry looking Maggie staring daggers at him from the front lawn. Scott glanced to the dashboard of the van, checking the time. It was only 4:45 PM, what could she possibly be mad about? The former thief parked the van in the driveway once more, getting out and helping Cassie out from the back.

  
  
        "Hi, mommy!" The young girl ran to her mother who gave her a squeeze before telling her to go inside. Cassie made a weird look, following her mother's instructions. Well, sort of. Cassie first ran to her father and gave him a big hug, thanking him for the wonderful day she had. Then, she went inside the home.

  
  
        "Is something wrong, Maggie? I got her home on time," The Ant-Man jokingly asked, a bit nervous as to why she seemed so mad.

  
  
        "Scott Lang, we need to _talk_."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
